VANCOUVER -- Jay DeMerit says if Kekuta Manneh can realize his full potential, the 18-year-old wont be with the Vancouver Whitecaps for very long. Custom Detroit Tigers Jerseys . Until last week, the Gambian-born forward was having a productive rookie season in Major League Soccer, flying mostly under the radar outside of Vancouver. But everything changed thanks to a stunning hat trick in a 4-1 road victory over the Seattle Sounders on Oct. 9 that saw the Whitecaps keep their playoff hopes alive. "Hopefully, if he keeps the right attitude, hell be somewhere else," DeMerit said Thursday when asked where he saw Mannehs career in a few years. "Thats not a bad thing. You draft kids to mentor them and make them better and you try not to hold those kinds of guys back. "Everyone speaks of his talent, and he knows of his talent. Now its just about making the most of that talent." But the 33-year-old Vancouver captain cautioned: "Hes not going to go anywhere unless he performs here first." And perform he did against the Sounders in a game the Whitecaps badly needed. Manneh scored in the 12th, 42nd and 54th minute for the franchises first MLS hat trick to send Vancouver to its first-ever league victory in Seattle. "Its always great to score a goal (and) especially a hat trick. Im really grateful to my team for the support they gave me," said the five-foot-nine Manneh, now also the youngest player to score an MLS hat trick. "It was a great feeling." Vancouver head coach Martin Rennie has had difficulty finding a consistent strike partner for Brazilian forward Camilo Sanvezzo this season, but seems to have something with Manneh. "Throughout the season hes just been developing as a player whos got exciting technique, great skills," said Rennie. "Hes naturally just a very gifted player and now hes learning the things weve been talking about. Hes learning his position a little bit more. Hes learning what it means to be a professional player." Named MLS player of the week for his performance against the Sounders, Manneh was born in Madiba Kunda, Gambia, and played soccer non-stop as a child. "(Soccer) is all we do," he said with a smile. "Thats the sport you want to play. "We still have the field that I played on -- a dirt field." After his mother died when he was 10 years old, Manneh found his way to a Gambian soccer academy, which had a partnership with youth clubs in the United States. Manneh left Africa at age 15, eventually finding his way to a team in Austin, Texas, where he billeted with a family that would eventually adopt him. Fast-forward three years, the Whitecaps took Manneh with the fourth pick in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft. The club has tried to bring him on slowly, but he showed flashes of brilliance early in his professional career. "Coming in the first year I just wanted to learn as much as I could from the coaches and the senior players," he said. "I just came in every single day, worked hard and it paid off." Manneh came on as a second-half substitute with Vancouver trailing 2-0 against FC Dallas on April 27 and brought his team back to level with a goal and an assist. The Whitecaps (12-11-9) are three points out of the final post-season spot in the Western Conference, but play their final two games of the season against the fifth-place Colorado Rapids (13-10-9), who currently hold down the last playoff berth. Colorado hosts Vancouver on Saturday, before playing at B.C. Place Stadium on Oct. 27. With five goals and two assists in 18 games, including four starts, Manneh is trying to help the Whitecaps secure a playoff berth that seemed unlikely just a few weeks ago. "Over the course of the year, hes improved," said Rennie. "Hopefully over the course of a couple years he can improve the same or more and then youve got really a potentially consistent top player." Fake Tigers Jerseys .com) - The New York Jets have named Mike Maccagnan their new general manager. Detroit Tigers Gear . 2015 Oscar nomination pending. Here is an open letter from Steven Stamkos to his fans: When I shot this final Moment Zero film last August, it was a fun few days on set with Coke Zero and Jordan Eberle in my hometown of Markham. https://www.cheaptigers.com/ . Players suspended during the season for a performance-enhancing drug violation will not be eligible for that years post-season. In addition, discipline will increase from 50 games to 80 for a first testing violation and from 100 games to a season-long 162 for a second. A third violation remains a lifetime ban.LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Kobe Bryant had 31 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds for his 20th career triple-double, and the Los Angeles Lakers snapped a four-game losing streak with a 129-122 overtime victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night.Seven players scored in double figures for the Lakers, including all five starters. Nick Young added 20 points off the bench, Carlos Boozer scored 18 and Jordan Hill had 16 points and 12 rebounds.Kyle Lowry had 29 points, nine assists and six rebounds for Toronto before fouling out with 2.8 seconds left in overtime. Terrence Ross had 20 points and Lou Williams added 19 off the bench for the Raptors, whose 13-3 record entering the game was the best start in franchise history.Toronto played without leading scorer DeMar DeRozan, who tore a tendon in his left groin during Fridays 106-102 loss to Dallas and is out indefinitely. Greivis Vasquez made his first start of the season and scored 19 points.SPURS 111, CELTICS 89BOSTON (AP) — Danny Green scored 18 points and coach Gregg Popovich returned from a two-game absence to lead San Antonio over Boston for its seventh straight victory.Popovich returned for the opener of a four-game trip after missing two games following an undisclosed minor medical procedure.Leading 80-77 with 10 minutes left, the Spurs went on a 14-2 run to take a 94-79 lead with 6:11 left on a layup by Cory Joseph. After Jeff Green made a free throw for Boston, cutting the lead to 94-80, Aron Baynes beat the 24-second clock with a 3-pointer then made a layup for a 99-80 lead with 4:36 to go.Boris Diaw had 15 points and Tim Duncan added 14 for the Spurs. The Celtics were led by Jeff Green with 16 points and Evan Turner with 12 as they dropped to 1-7 in their last eight games.Rajon Rondo finished with only two points and missed both of his free throws. He has made just 9 of 30 all season.BULLS 102, NETS 84NEW YORK (AP) —Jimmy Butler had 26 points and Pau Gasol had 25 points and 13 rebounds, leading Chicago past Brooklyn.Rookie Bojan Bogdanovic led the Nets with 13 points and reserve Jarret Jack added 12.Derrick Rose had 14 points and reserve Nikola Mirotic chipped in 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Bulls, who capped a seven-game, 14-day road trip with their second straight win and finished 4-3 overall. Chicagos United Center had been reserved for the annual circus show, forcing the Bulls on the road.WARRIORS 104, PISTONS 93AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) — Draymond Green scored 20 points and Stephen Curry added 16 points and 10 assists to help Golden State beat Detroit for its ninth straight victory.Marreese Speights added 11 points and 12 rebounds for the Warriors (14-2).The Pistons (3-14) have lost eight in a row, the longest streak of Stan Van Gundys coaching career, and have matched his career worst at 11 games under .500. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led Detroit with 23 points.Van Gundy broke up his usual three-post lineup against the smaller Warriors, starting Kyle Singler at small forward and bringing Greg Monroe ooff the bench. Tigers Jerseys 2019. It didnt work. Monroe, Andre Drummond and Josh Smith shot a combined 12 for 38.GRIZZLIES 97, KINGS 85SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Zach Randolph had 22 points and 12 rebounds, Marc Gasol added 18 points and six rebounds and Memphis held off a late rally to beat short-handed Sacramento for its fifth straight win.The frontcourt tandem took advantage of a Kings team playing without centre DeMarcus Cousins, who missed his second straight game because of a virus. The Grizzlies built a 21-point lead in the second quarter and pulled away again in the fourth to stretch their NBA-best record to 15-2.Rudy Gay scored 20 points and reserve Reggie Evans finished with 17 points and 20 rebounds as Sacramento (9-8) lost its third game in a row.HEAT 86, KNICKS 79NEW YORK (AP) — Dwyane Wade returned from a seven-game absence to score 27 points —13 in the fourth quarter — and Miami beat New York.Chris Bosh added 20 for the Heat, including a crucial 3-pointer with 1:07 left as Miami held off a late New York rally.Carmelo Anthony also returned after a two-game absence because of back spasms to score 31 points for the Knicks. Amare Stoudemire had 19 points and 12 reboundsAfter trailing by 16, the Knicks pulled to 65-63 on Tim Hardaway Jr.s layup with 9:22 left.Wade, sidelined since Nov. 12 by a hamstring injury, followed with a baseline jumper and scored 12 of Miamis next 15 points to help the Heat maintain the lead.MAGIC 93, SUNS 90PHOENIX (AP) — Tobias Harris scored 21 points and Orlando held off a late rally to beat Phoenix and snap a four-game losing streak.Nikola Vucevic added 18 points for the Magic, who led by 16 early in the fourth quarter before the Suns cut it to three with 1:02 to play.Phoenix coach John Hornacek drew a technical on Orlandos next possession, the coach claiming to no avail that Vucevic travelled on a layup.Consecutive 3-pointers by Goran Dragic and Gerald Green, the second with 2.9 seconds to go, cut the lead to one, Evan Fournier sank two free throws with 1.6 seconds to go and Phoenix failed to get a shot off at the buzzer.Dragic scored 22 points and Markieff Morris had 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Suns.TRAIL BLAZERS 107, TIMBERWOLVES 93PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — LaMarcus Aldridge had 26 points and 15 rebounds to pace Portland over Minnesota.Wesley Matthews added 23 points, including six 3-pointers for his third straight game with at least five 3-pointers, and the Blazers led by as many as 16 points.Portland was coming off a 112-99 loss to Memphis on Friday night that snapped a nine-game winning streak.Shabazz Muhammad came off the bench with 28 points for Minnesota, which used just nine players. The Timberwolves have won just four games this season, including a 120-119 win in Los Angeles over the Lakers on Friday.Injuries and illness have decimated the Timberwolves. The latest was rookie forward Andrew Wiggins, who played just under 19 minutes after he was a game-time decision with a flu-like illness. ' ' '